Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had been two days since Sgt. Adams'strange disappearance, and none of the military recruiters on campus at DCU had any information. Or rather, if they did, they weren't willing to share it with a civilian. Daniyah had to take matters into her own hands - sussing out that the last time he was seen, Sgt. Adams was with some women dressed oddly. Some sort of... Halloween costumes or something, all black. Dani didn't know what to think of such a thing, but it was the only lead she had.

Whispers told of Sgt. Adams' last known location was somewhere on the outskirts of the campus, nearing some of the outlying strip malls. Seemed as good a place as any to start searching.

While she wasn't a detective, Dani knew how to look for strange things. The largest store in the strip mall was a home decor sort of place - reasonably-priced items for college dorms and student housing, including light fixtures and a plethora of mirrors. Everything was closed this time of night, 11:00PM on the dot.

And no sigh of the Sargent. Dani sighed and crossed her arms, flashlight in tow and keys nestled in her fist just in case someone decided to tussle with her. She'd been targeted for hate before, just based on her skin color, and tonight she was having none of that.

Ears perked quickly to the sound of someone else's voice. She hadn't expected anyone to be out at this hour except for herself and less-savory people. But her? This woman with lighter hair and... some kind of odd hat. Was it a hat? Daniyah squinted not for blindness, but for scrutiny, but kept the flashlight beam low to the ground to avoid blinding whoever this was.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm actually out looking for someone." came a cautious reply. This woman didn't seem to be involved in law enforcement - they would identify themselves and wore a recognizable uniform. What on Earth was this woman wearing? Something dark... tall boots... very odd. It was like a costume. "...have you seen a military officer around here? His name is Sergeant Adams. He's gone missing around this area and I was hoping to find him. I'd heard he'd been with some women dressed in black."

...dressed in black.

Was this blonde woman one of the perpetrators? Daniyah gripped her keys in case this stranger became dangerous. If she was involved with whatever took Adams, she may very well be looking for more victims to kidnap.

Daniyah gave this woman a suspicious glance. Things were starting to piece themselves together, bit by bit. Eyes narrowing, she stepped forward. "I am not presently in the military, but I was discussing that option with Sergeant Adams before his disappearance. No one at the college seems hard-pressed to find him and he has been reported missing to the police, but the descriptions of the suspected perpetrators concerns me. Women, dressed in black, and the disappearance was sudden and unexplained. It's not like Sergeant Adams to simply abandon his post."

Her keys were still at the ready, just in case Lesath decided kidnapping was on the agenda. Dani couldn't just ignore the fact that Lesath fit at least some of the description (though women in black was incredibly vague anyway). If the blonde had any information, Daniyah decided to play along. Perhaps she was part of an... unusual gang. Who knew in Destiny City, where strange things seemed to happen all the time? "Unsafe? Probably. The police haven't reached any conclusions."

There was something... curious and almost supernatural about Lesath, though Daniyah lacked the words to properly describe her. She moved with an otherworldly grace and seemed to be... keeping an eye out for things?

Ah.

So that's how it was?

Daniyah sighed to herself. If Lesath was indeed part of the gang that took Sergeant Adams, then taking matters into her own hands would be both incredibly stupid, and possibly ridiculously rewarding. Any information Lesath could provide (or any that could be extracted) could be invaluable to the police. "...alright, you can keep me company. I'll warn you now, I've got years of training under my belt." It wasn't a stern challenge, but a soft warning, in case Lesath decided to try any funny business.

Daniyah dutifully followed beside the blonde, keeping one eye on her and one eye on where they might be headed. Lesath, as she was called, explained her theory - the Sergeant was likely no longer with the living. The police may never find him? Was his body gone forever? Did the gang members sell him into slavery? There were too many questions, and it was increasingly obvious Lesath knew more than she initially seemed to.

"So... the Sergeant is likely dead." It was more to solidify her understanding than to question Lesath's conclusion. "...unless he was taken by a member of your group? They throw people into... mirrors? I don't understand."

None of this made any sense.

"If you have a way to check and see if he's alive or dead... I'd like to take that chance." Dani believed she had a duty, of sorts, to the Sergeant. If he was alive and she brought him back, that could give her a foot in the door when it came to entering the military. She also understood this was an incredible risk - Lesath could have a weapon concealed on her person, or she could be leading Dani into an ambush. Still, the young woman's gut told her it was in her best interest to follow Lesath's lead. "I don't understand what this has to do with mirrors?"

Daniyah didn't want to believe such a thing was possible, at first.

She was a logical, calm and collected individual, she thought. She thought she understood the boundaries between possible and impossible, Lesath standing squarely in the latter. Mirrors? Why were they walking towards a mirror? It... made no sense, no logical sense and the last breath she took of that cold air before entering the suddenly-liquid surface of the mirror would be the final breath of Daniyah Nejem as a mundane citizen of Destiny City.

The world behind and beyond the mirror was... indescribable. It was a world unto itself, a place beyond the limit of logical thought. In no conceivable manner could a place like this exist, and yet Lesath entered it like a door in a house. Like it was normal. Like it was nothing. Standing just beyond the threshold, Dani was shocked into silence for a moment or two, bright eyes taking in every detail before Lesath's voice brought her back to reality.

Or was this even reality at all?

Do you see your friend?

Blinking, Dani shook her head to clear her thoughts. How could someone process the existence of a place like this? A world behind a mirror... There were larger mirrors held up in this place, each containing someone as real and as alive as Lesath and Dani both were. Trotting up to one, the young woman peered inside each, and shook her head. "What are these people doing here? Are they prisoners? None of them are the Sergeant... Did your people bring them here? Why? What is this place?"

There was a long moment of silence as Daniyah regarded the prisoners, who appeared to be sleeping in cells made of reflective glass. Mirrors. Mirrorspace, the world beyond mirrors which only people like Lesath could enter. Logically, it opened up a multitude of possibilities. Lesath brought her through a mirror to this place with her own power, as if it were walking through a door. How many other mirrors held worlds like this? Were they all connected? Could she enter one, like the full-length mirror in her mother’s bedroom?

Lesath’s offer brought her back to reality, bright blue eyes snapping open from a whirlwind of considerations. The mere existence of a place like Mirrorspace interrupted and defied the logical boundaries of life as she understood it. There was a world beyond people’s perception.

And… she could be a part of that?

“Daniyah. Daniyah Nejem.” she breathed, turning to face the large mirror Lesath was standing before. It pulsed in odd ways, starkly different than anything else in the room. Was this a room? Or was it a vast expanse she had only begun to scratch the surface of?

We have to survive, too.

The mirror has the power to unlock your potential…all you have to do is take the step.

The darker woman considered this for a fraction of a second. The thought of being a part of something so covert as to avoid the perception of everyday people? To operate in the shadows, inside mirrors, in a space undiscovered by government and military operations (at least, to the best of her knowledge. Lesath may have mentioned that earlier, given Dani’s ties to the military)... it was an exhilarating proposition at the very least. Enticing. Possibly dangerous.

But Dani was not averse to danger.

Approaching the mirror, the myriad of questions began to flood her mind with each passing step. “Would I… be able to do as you do, Lesath? Could I walk through a mirror, like you did? What is it your Court does? What is their purpose…?” It seemed as though the mirror was calling to her, drawing her forward and, without thinking, Daniyah started to reach out to it. “...you’re much more powerful than you look, aren’t you, Lesath?”